Most Norfolk knife crime convictions first-time offenders

Anti-knife crime charity the Ben Kinsella Trust said urgent change was needed to address a culture that for some “carrying knives has become normalised behaviour”.

Ministry of Justice figures show 172 first-time knife criminals in the county went through the criminal justice system in the year ending March 2023.

Knives that featured in recent court cases in the region (Image: Crown Prosecution Service)

They account for 72pc of all those found guilty of knife and offensive weapon offences.

Of these, only 16pc were jailed immediately. 

READ MORE: Police see steep rise in people carrying knives in Norfolk

It comes amid a steep rise in the number of people carrying knives, with Norfolk police reporting an increase of almost 50pc in weapon possession cases.

Patrick Green, Ben Kinsella Trust chief executive, said this showed the law is not providing a sufficient deterrent and many first-time knife criminals would go on to become serial offenders.

Patrick Green, Ben Kinsella Trust chief executive, has urged a culture change over knife carrying (Image: Ben Kinsella Trust)

Norfolk offenders were cautioned or sentenced 239 times for knife-related crimes in the 12 months covered by the figures. 

Of those, just 70 (29pc) resulted in immediate jail sentences – fewer than in 2019-20, when the figure stood at 30pc.

Of those cautioned or sentenced, nine in 10 were men.

Norfolk police also caught children aged under 18 with knives 32 times in 2022-23, an increase from 26 the year before.

READ MORE: Four arrests linked with knife crime in Norfolk in one week

The figures don’t cover the most recent anti-knife crime initiative, Operation Sceptre, which saw four arrests and 33 knives taken off the streets.

Mr Green said: “One possibility is that young people are feeling increasingly unsafe and that they are mistakenly carrying knives for protection.

Charites have urged an urgent change in the culture of carrying as knives (Image: PA)

“Protecting our youth and fostering a safe environment for all should be a government priority.”

He added children are also influenced by social media, which “often portrays knives in a glamorised way” and said young people must be provided with the necessary support, education and opportunities to steer them away from violence.